Waters, a prominent black congresswoman, endorses Clinton run
Hoping to halt the flow of momentum to Barack Obama after his South Carolina victory and Senator Edward M. Kennedy's endorsement, Hillary Clinton yesterday touted the support of a high-profile African-American leader, Representative Maxine Waters of California.
Waters could help blunt criticism that the Clinton campaign has tried to play white and Latino voters against black voters - for example when Bill Clinton connected Obama's South Carolina victory to Jesse Jackson win in the Palmetto State in 1984 and 1988.
In a conference call with reporters, Waters took up Clinton's argument that she's a doer, "committed to concrete proposals and projects aimed at solving problems." She said Clinton understands the needs of underserved rural and urban Americans as well as "soccer moms."
Meanwhile, Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas endorsed Obama yesterday, a Super Tuesday boost in a GOP-leaning state that Democrats hope to reclaim in the White House campaign. "I think he brings the hope and optimism that we really need to restore our place in the world, as well as to bring this country together and really tackle the challenges that we have," Sebelius said.
GLOBE STAFF AND ASSOCIATED PRESS
Letterman will host Clinton on eve of vote
NEW YORK - Hillary Clinton will yuk it up on CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman" the day before the Feb. 5 contests.
Clinton will join Letterman in New York on Monday. She was last on the program Jan. 2, in a cameo appearance from Iowa. It will be Clinton's ninth visit to the show.
Letterman's show has been a popular destination for the presidential hopefuls. Barack Obama and John Edwards have both appeared twice since entering the race - Obama as recently as Thursday, where he read the nightly Top 10 list.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
On trip to Kansas, Obama hails his history
EL DORADO, Kan. - For all the talk about Barack Obama's quest to be the first black president, his visit to his grandfather's hometown yesterday was a reminder that it is only half the story.
Obama is the son of an African father and a white mother from this heartland state, which holds its presidential caucus Feb. 5. "We're family," Obama said as he took the stage in a packed community college gymnasium for an event that combined politics with a personal story.
Obama told reporters that the stop in Kansas would remind voters about his roots and that he was not born into privilege.
It was his first visit ever to El Dorado, where his maternal grandfather, Stanley Dunham, grew up. Obama was raised by his mother and his grandparents in Hawaii; his father left the family when Obama was 2 and then returned to his native Kenya.
Obama told the audience that his story "spans miles and generations, races and realities."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Caroline Kennedy ad evokes images of JFK
A day after Caroline Kennedy and Senator Edward M. Kennedy publicly anointed Barack Obama the Kennedy torch-bearer for the next generation, she appeared yesterday in a new 30-second TV spot that will run in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and on national cable channels.
"Once we had a president who made people feel hopeful about America and brought us together to do great things," Caroline Kennedy says in the ad as images of her father, John F. Kennedy, appear on the screen. "Today Barack Obama gives us that same chance. He makes us believe in ourselves again - that when we act as one nation we can overcome any challenge."
SCOTT HELMAN
Obama questioned about alleged snub
It is the one night in Washington when decorum truly reigns: The president delivers the State of the Union speech, and politicians of both parties are on their best behavior and come together to pay tribute to the living, breathing democracy that makes America what it is. Did Barack Obama honor the tradition?
Obama found himself answering questions yesterday about whether he snubbed rival candidate Hillary Clinton Monday night in the House chamber before President Bush gave his speech. As Clinton greeted Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who had endorsed Obama earlier in the day, Obama seemed to turn his back and walk away.
Obama told reporters on his campaign plane that he was distracted by another senator asking him a question.
"No, I don't think he snubbed her at all," David Axelrod, a senior Obama adviser, said on MSNBC. "First of all, they acknowledged each other as they entered the chamber. But I think he knew that Senator Kennedy and Senator Clinton were friends.
"This was obviously an awkward day from that standpoint, and I don't think he wanted to stand there while Senator Kennedy was greeting Senator Clinton," Axelrod said.
SCOTT HELMAN 